Sniff, sniff: Using the nose to communicate

Dogs do it. Cats do it. They sniff each other. Are they simply smelling for smelling's sake, or
are they communicating?

Case Western Reserve University researchers say it might be the latter.

According to a press release, Daniel W. Wesson, with the CWRU School of Medicine, found that
rats "sniff each other to signal a social hierarchy and prevent aggressive behavior."

His work, published in the journal
Current Biology, drew upon previous work showing that, similar to humans, rodents
naturally form complex social hierarchies. He used wireless methods to record and observe rats as
they interacted and found that, when two rats approach each other, "one communicates dominance by
sniffing more frequently, while the subordinate signals its role by sniffing less. "

If the subordinate didn't do so, the dominant rat was more likely to become aggressive to the
other, according to CWRU.